I am excited today to share with you a little bit about one of this month's sponsors, Lettergirl. Gina makes lovely hand-lettered stamps to be used in a variety of ways from bookplates to return addresses on envelopes to custom invitations and stationery.

I asked Gina to share a little bit about herself, her shop and what inspires her :

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I live in Minneapolis with my husband, Peter and our two kids, Juilet is 11 and Forest is 8. We live in a 105-year old Victorian fixer-upper near the Mississippi River. I love making things--and like many crafty people, that goes back to when I was a child. I have always loved reading and sewing and cooking and trying new things.

How did you get started with Lettergirl?
I have been a designer for 17 years through my business, Dreamland. I started by designing our wedding invitation (18 years ago this week!). A friend came to our wedding and asked me to design their invitation. A friend of hers then asked me to design for her...Within a few years I was designing close to 100 invitation suites in a year -- all hand-lettered and hand-painted. Dreamland evolved through the years to include birth announcements, holiday cards, everyday stationery, and for the last year, my online shop, lettergirl.

How do you balance it all? When do you fit in your creative time?

One of my most favorite things about self-employment is the flexibility I have during the day. I can help at my kids' schools, buy groceries when the store isn't so hectic, or go for a bike ride if I need to get outside. I have to balance that with a few late nights or early mornings, but I am so grateful to even have that option. I have the most energy in the morning, and am still trying to figure out how to work in more personal creative time then. In the meantime, I love keeping an Idea Journal, where I jot down all the things I want to make "someday".

What inspires you?
Other artists absolutely inspire me. I have been obsessed with Alabama Chanin since a trip to NY in spring 2008, and have made almost a dozen clothing items entirely by hand thanks to her. I love quilts by Cher Cartwright and cookbooks by Ina Garten With limited time (two kids! old house! business to run! volunteer projects! older parents!) I am learning to let others do what they do best...instead of making that little pouch I needed, I bought on etsy from mintworkshop. I have lots of things on my favorites list right now!

Gina's Blog : Gina's Lettergirl Shop

And today, Gina was kind enough to offer one her custom family name stamps to one lucky MommyCoddle reader. Simply leave a comment in this post to be entered in the giveaway. And I will announce the winner on Friday!

Good luck! And thank you, Gina!